Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks to journalists throughout his press convention on the VTB Funding Discussion board ‘Russia Calling!’, on December 2, 2025 in Moscow, Russia. Putin visited an annual discussion board, hosted by the VTB Group, prior his discuss with U.S. particular envoy Steve Witkoff.
Contributor | Getty Pictures Information | Getty Pictures
Peace talks held between the U.S. and Russia on Tuesday didn’t ship a breakthrough with Russian President Vladimir Putin forward of discussions doubling down on threats towards Europe, saying Russia was “prepared” for struggle with the continent.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s particular envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner had traveled to Moscow for talks with Putin and his closest aides on a draft peace plan aimed toward ending the virtually four-year struggle in Ukraine.
The talks lasted 5 hours, Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov instructed reporters after the discussions, saying the assembly targeted on a U.S.-drafted peace plan and was “very helpful, constructive, and extremely informative” however that there was extra work to be executed.
“We agreed on some issues … whereas others triggered criticism, and the President [Putin] additionally made no secret of our crucial, even unfavorable, angle towards various proposals. However the principle factor is that we had a really helpful dialogue,” Ushakov mentioned, in feedback translated by NBC Information.
It is unclear which peace plan was introduced to the Russians after an preliminary 28-point peace plan, secretly devised by the U.S. and Russia, was introduced to Ukraine just a few weeks in the past.
Kyiv and its European allies rapidly amended that plan, whittling it all the way down to 19 proposals, with Ukrainian officers travelling to Florida final weekend for extra talks on the proposals.
Russian President Vladimir Putin at a gathering with U.S. particular envoy Steve Witkoff and U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner on the Kremlin, aimed toward discovering an answer to finish the Ukraine struggle, in Moscow, Russia on December 2, 2025.
Kremlin Press Workplace/Anadolu through Getty Pictures
Russia and Ukraine are miles aside with regards to central parts of a framework peace settlement, with Moscow demanding that Kyiv cede partially-occupied territory within the east of the nation to Russia, and disagreeing over Western-backed safety ensures for Ukraine.
Putin aide Ushakov mentioned Tuesday that each side had mentioned a 27-point plan and had obtained extra paperwork from the U.S. aspect, though he didn’t elaborate as to what these contained. He added that Russia and the U.S. had agreed to not disclose particulars of the talks.
‘Prepared’ for struggle
The talks in Moscow got here after Putin launched a tirade in opposition to Europe, saying its counter peace proposals had been “completely unacceptable” for Russia, and that the area’s management had “no peace agenda.”
“We’re not going to struggle with Europe; I’ve mentioned {that a} hundred occasions. But when Europe out of the blue needs to struggle us and begins, we’re prepared proper now,” Putin instructed journalists forward of his assembly with Witkoff and Kushner.
European officers have expressed consternation in latest weeks that they, and Ukraine, had been excluded from preliminary talks between the U.S. and Russia that led to an authentic draft peace plan seen to closely favor Russia.
Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks, as he visits the command publish of the Russian forces “West” grouping in the middle of Russia-Ukraine battle, in unidentified location, on this nonetheless picture taken from video launched Nov. 20, 2025.
Kremlin.ru | By way of Reuters
EU overseas coverage chief Kaja Kallas mentioned Monday that “this week may very well be pivotal for diplomacy. It’s clear that Russia doesn’t need peace, and subsequently we have to make Ukraine as robust as doable.”
Europe can have watched Tuesday’s talks in Russia carefully. There are issues that Trump, who has appeared to have a hotter relationship with Putin than with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at occasions, may throw his help behind Russia’s peace proposals in a bid to finish the struggle sooner slightly than later.
Keen to look optimistic over the prospect of peace, Zelenskyy instructed Irish lawmakers on Tuesday that Ukraine was “nearer to peace than ever earlier than” and that there was a “actual, actual probability” of an settlement after talks with Washington.
No hurry for a deal
Geopolitical specialists say the Kremlin is prepared to eke out the peace course of for so long as doable, with Russia maintaing that it has the benefit on the battlefield and may extract heavy concessions from Ukraine within the peace course of.
Michael Froman, president of the Council on Overseas Relations, mentioned it was in Putin’s “curiosity simply to maintain the method going, to have an extended technique of diplomatic engagement.”
“He needs to have a broader dialog about Russia’s reintegration with the West and relations with america, business agreements with america, and to make this lengthy and drawn out whereas he continues to bomb Ukraine’s vitality infrastructure and makes incremental progress on the bottom,” he instructed CNBC’s “Squawk Field” Tuesday.
Amos Hochstein, TWG International managing accomplice and former senior advisor to the president within the Biden administration, agreed that Russia would seemingly drag its heels over a deal.
“I believe it is tough to get to a degree of a deal the place numerous territory needs to be given up by the Ukrainians in return for safety ensures which might be a bit free and flimsy, and for the Ukrainians who fought a lot over the past a number of years, that is laborious to swallow,” he instructed CNBC’s “Squawk Field.”
“I believe the issue is that the Ukrainians most likely can compromise in a few of this, however any concessions they might get from the U.S. on that deal can be tough to get the Russians to comply with [ as they] rely on the struggle, wish to win, but additionally have a struggle economic system.”
“The Russians aren’t in a rush for a deal right here,” he added.
